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Two or three months after then, I had noticed that I was rapidly gaining weight. So much that even I was feeling insecure about it. And, well, I wasn’t the only one who noticed, either.
“Whoa, slow down, baby.” I said, panting, “I can’t keep up with that.”
“You serious? I wasn’t even going that fast.” He said, turning around and pacing back towards me. He nuzzled me for only a few seconds, before suddenly drawing back.
“You’re really hot…” he said, his mismatched eyes looking at me in concern.
“You never noticed?” I said playfully, even though that was so far from what I really thought.
“You know what I mean,” he chuckled. “You sure you’re okay though?”
“Yeah, I’m fi-” I couldn’t finish my sentence as I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. Almost simultaneously, my head felt like it had caught on fire. I yelled out in pain.
“Maria!” he yelled, rushing to my side. That was the last thing I remembered before falling unconscious.
“Maria… Maria… wake up, Maria…” I could hear Rogue’s soft pleas before I opened my eyes. But the moment I did, he embraced me in a gentle nuzzle.
“How long was I unconscious?” I muttered, though I didn’t really care.
“It seemed like an eternity to me,” he said, being the romantic he always is, but noting the concern on my face, “It was about an hour, I think.”
An hour? But I felt so exhausted, still!
“Let me walk you home. You need blankets and things.” He said, helping me up. Over the past few weeks he had become more accepting of my living with humans, but he still wasn’t completely happy with it. He offered to carry me, but I figured I’d probably crush him if he did.
About two weeks later I was feeling much worse. I stumbled over to the door and barked hoarsely. I needed to get outside. But they were too late, and unfortunately their dawdling left me to be sick on the linoleum.
The next day, they finally had the sense to take me to the vet.
“Nothing wrong with her,” the vet smiled after examining me. I growled at his stupidity. Of course there was something wrong with me! What kind of vet was he?
“But,” the vet said, with a bigger smile, “She’s expecting puppies!”
I was stunned. But yet, I felt so proud. It was the same pride I felt when Saba was leaving. But, I had to wonder. Was I too young? Would I be a good mother? How would I tell Rogue?
“Make sure receives all her nutrients. Calcium, especially. Try to keep her inside for much of the time. Make sure she’s in a safe place for the pups’ birth.”
But that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted Rogue to be there with me.
I lay on the back porch, head on my paws. I was officially a prisoner in my own home. They’d put up a gate in front of the porch stairs and while I would usually be able to jump it, I was much too worried about hurting my unborn pups to try and jump that high. Oh, and I was chained up, so I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere even if I did get over the fence.
Well, at least they had good intentions.
I heard a loud clanging by the back fence and raised my head. A rusty-red shape appeared with a horrified expression.
“Rogue!”
“Maria! Maria, oh, what’ve they done to you? This is worse than I thought! Don’t worry, Maria, I can free you..!” he said, racing towards the porch in panic
“Rogue,” I said sternly, and he stopped. “There’s a reason they did this, and it was in their best intentions to do so.” I continued calmly, but he wasn’t about to believe it.
“What kind of-” he started, but I cut him off.
“Look there’s something I have to tell you, and it’s something…” I paused and took a deep breath, “something that’s going to change our lives. Forever. It’s…” I let out the breath I had been holding in. I stood up, and walked over to the railing where he had pushed his muzzle through the slats. I touched his nose with mine.
“I’m pregnant.”
He backed away suddenly. This wasn’t good.
“Maria, your…” he paused, and as I carefully studied his expression I saw his shock turn to joy. “You’re pregnant! Maria! Oh my god, this is the greatest moment of my life!” he said, his tail beating rapidly now. He backed up a few paces, crouched, then leapt suddenly over the railing, landing with a loud ‘thunk’. He padded across the hardwood and began to nuzzle me, licking my face and neck as he did so. I giggled in delight.
There was a sudden clang of footsteps. “I’m going to let Maria out for a little while; she’s been on that porch for a fair time now.” It was the human man that said this. I referred to him as ‘the alpha’.
“Quick, Rogue, you have to go! Hide!” I woofed quietly, urging him to go. He shook his head.
“Oh no babe, you’re coming with me!”
“What?!”
“I’m freeing you!” he said urgently, and began trying to undo the bolt on the metal collar that secured me to my home.
“No, run!” I screamed, but it was too late. The wooden door flung open.
“Get outta here, you mongrel dog!” the alpha said, stamping his foot threateningly towards Rogue and waving his hands angrily at the hybrid. “Get off my property!” he yelled again, kicking at the red dog’s hocks.
“Rogue, just lea-” I was begging, but it was too late. In an instant, Rogue had spun and clamped his huge jaws around the alpha’s hand.
“Arrgh!” the man cried out in pain, but almost as a reflex he delivered a sharp, swift, powerful kick to the ribs of my mate. Rogue yelped and stumbled before gathering his bearing and scrambling off the porch. He looked back at me, but I couldn’t go with him. He snarled at the man and just before he turned once more to scurry back across the shortly-cut grass, he glared at me with those beautiful yellow eyes, as if he were saying, ‘you traitor.’ It cut right through me. ‘You traitor.’
I looked back at the alpha. His hand was completely red with blood and more was streaming out. I ran inside and across the cool pine flooring to warn the woman of the household, who I referred to as ‘the mother’.
I gripped the corner of her dress with my teeth and gently tugged the mother to the back door. She was about to scold me but stopped and let out a shocked scream at the sight of her husband’s bloodied hand. She ran back indoors to collect whatever was needed for first aid.
I didn’t see Rogue until a few weeks after. At the time all my humans were out so it was safe for him to be here.
“Rogue…” I said softly.
“Maria… how could you?” he said, staring at me with a look of confusion and rejection in his eyes.
I knew what he meant. But I knew why I did what I did. And I knew it had been the right choice.
“Maria-”
“No, Rogue. I warned you, I told you to leave. You bit him!” I shouted, shooting him my own glare.
“It was self defence!” he shouted, even emitting a low growl.
“No, it wasn’t. He had to go to hospital. He just wanted you to leave! I told you that!”
“Maria,” he was growling as he said this and began slowly pacing closer to the porch, “I… you have to make a decision.” In his eyes I could see, he was hurting, but no, this wasn’t right, and he knew it. No.
“No… no, this, this isn’t right! Don’t… don’t do this… I can’t, I can’t…” I was practically howling as I said this.
“Maria,” he glared at me so hard that I couldn’t look away, “It’s me or them.”
I had no words. He couldn’t do this to me. It… it wasn’t right.
“Leave.” I couldn’t talk to him now. Maybe not ever.
“Maria you have to-”
“LEAVE!” I snarled, and the force of my words made him do just that. He turned tail and shot across the grass, scratching his way under the fence. I growled and put my head on my paws, eventually drifting into a long sleep.
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